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Glite Dictionary
💤 To weaken ability 🧠 To remove brain part
to lobotomize

to lobotomize

4 9.4
Make people or groups unable to think clearly and work well
  • verb
  • /ləˈbɑːtəˌmaɪz/
  • US
translation icon : diluir
  • The best of man... has long been lobotomized... by reality television.

Examples

  • A few years ago, I realized the profession was as if lobotomized—it was stuck conceiving of itself only in terms of adding things and not in terms of taking away or erasing things.

    Blog text (33)

  • Okay, but you can't just lobotomize yourself.

    Robot & Frank (2012)

  • Journalists are lobotomized at some point.

    Blog text (3)

  • A Snookidemic is threatening to effectively lobotomize the body politic.

    Blog text (7)

  • Turn on that electric blanket, and it's like taking a tranquilizer… or it's like being lobotomized by watching television.

    My Dinner with Andre (1981)

  • Sure, and still you're right about your Cheerful Dumb, only they're not so much happy as lobotomized.

    Fiction book (1990)

  • Many people believe that excessive social media usage can lobotomize our critical thinking skills.

  • The educational reforms aimed to prevent standardized tests from lobotomizing creativity in students.

  • Frequent exposure to mindless entertainment can easily lobotomize one's ability to engage in meaningful discussions.

Synonyms

to debilitate
vsto lobotomize
20 7.7

To make a person, animal, or thing weak and less able to work

affects thinking and mental function rather than physical strength loss
to emasculate
vsto lobotomize
10 8.8

To make something weaker or less effective

targets mental or creative ability specifically rather than general power loss
to eviscerate
vsto lobotomize
  • Formal
10 9.1

To take away an important part so something loses its power

weakens thinking and function by dulling capacity rather than removing parts
to stultify
vsto lobotomize
  • Formal
1 9.8

Make someone or something lose energy and stop working well

targets thinking and functioning ability more directly than loss of energy
to zombify creativity
vsto lobotomize
  • Informal
9.9

Make someone's ability to think of new ideas slow and dull

is broader, dulling general thought and function rather than only creative flair
to suffocate someone's creativity
vsto lobotomize
7.2

Stop someone from thinking of new ideas

is broader, reducing overall thinking and function not only idea flow
to devitalize
vsto lobotomize
8.1

To make a place or group less lively and energetic

dulls thinking and effective function rather than just reducing liveliness

Antonyms

to stimulate
236 3.7

Make a person or thing more active, alert and responsive

to empower
157 4.2

Give someone the power and confidence to do something

Phrasal Verbs

to lobotomize creativity
  • Informal
9.9

To stop someone from thinking of new ideas

How Impaired

to lobotomize
  • US
4 9.4
to stifle
49 5.3
to numb
62 4.2
to blunt
21 4.2

Surface Forms

lobotomize infinitive
lobotomized past
lobotomized past participle
lobotomizing present participle
lobotomizes third person singular

Morphology

lobotomize = lobotomy (semi-transparent) = lobotomy + ize

The figurative sense is a metaphorical extension from the medical act (rendering someone unable to think), so the relation is inferable but non-literal for learners.

Etymology

Lobotomize comes from lobe meaning 'a part of the brain', the Greek root -tomy meaning 'to cut', and the English ending -ize meaning 'to make'. So a helpful way to remember the non-literal use is to think of 'cutting away' someone's ability to think or act, since to lobotomize something is to make it dull, weak, or less able to work well.